Dragline bucket and reeving therefor



O 24,1970 5'. w. SANKEY E DRAGLINE BUCKET AND REEVING THEREFOR F'iiedAug. 22, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR EDWIN H.8ANKEY W- Bevan MANN mawwufiu ATTORNEYS BY 5 Sol-u i tumume,

Nov. 24, 1970 E.W.$ANKEY EI'AL 3,541,710

I DRAGLINE BUCKET 'AND REEVING THEREFOR I Filed Aug. 22, 1967 2Sheets-Sheet I INVENTORS Eowm H. SANKEY RoBEz-r W.BEQ.GMANN masofz'wwimATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,541,710 DRAGLINE BUCKET AND REEVINGTHEREFOR Edwin W. Sankey and Robert W. Bergmann, Marion, Ohio, assignorsto Marion Power Shovel Company, Inc., Marion, Ohio, a corporation ofDelaware Filed Aug. 22, 1967, Ser. No. 662,500 Int. Cl. E02f 3/46; H02p5/22 U.S. Cl. 37-115 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This inventionrelates to the application of force to a body to be moved, andparticularly where the application is made by attachment of the forceapplying means to more than two points on the body to be moved, and to aparticular construction of a body to be moved.

Throughout the years, larger and larger excavating machines have beendeveloped and built. The increase in size has brought problems relativeto the weight and strength of the buckets themselves, and the bucketweights have created additional problems of suspension and handling.

Dragline buckets of from 160 to 180 cubic yard capacities are now inuse. Buckets of even larger capacities are being demanded. It is obviousthat the only way in which the capacity of the bucket can be increasedis to enlarge its overall dimensions. In the process of widening thebucket, the lip section carrying the teeth, as well as the arch, orbail, connecting the forward edges of the sides, become much wider. Bothof these spans would be so great for increased capacity buckets thatthey would have to be of extremely heavy design in order to be strongenough to withstand the terrific strains which would be imposed. This,in turn, would so greatly increase the weight of the bucket inproportion to its increased capacity that the resulting structure wouldhardly be practical. Some way had to be found to increase the capacityof the bucket without an inordinate increase in bucket weight.

In handling dragline buckets up to approximately 70 cubic yards in size,two hoist ropes and two dragline ropes of approximately three andone-half inches in diameter can be used. When larger buckets weredeveloped, it was necessary to use four drag ropes, two attached to eachside of the bucket, and the four were trained about a single drum. Byusing four ropes of four-inch diameter, it has been possible to handlebuckets up to the present limit of capacity.

It is now desired to construct buckets of over 200 cubic yard capacity.Using present methods, it would require at least five inch diameter wirerope to handle a bucket of this size without overloading. This size ropeis impractical, both from a manufacturing standpoint and from thestandpoint of manipulating and handling in the field.

More than four ropes might be used, but with attachment being made tothe bucket at only two points and only one drum being used, complex andunwieldy equalizers would be required. It can be seen that, when usingone drum, the total tension might be applied to the bucket at only onepoint if the digging loads were concentrated 3,541,710 Patented Nov. 24,1970 at that point, and this must be taken into account when selectingrope size. Thus, when using two points of attachment, the tension at onepoint could be twice what otherwise might be considered to be theaverage tension per point; likewise, with three points of attachment,the tension at one point might be three times that considered asaverage. It follows, then, that the use of multiple points of attachmentdoes not, in itself, permit the use of smaller ropes. It should also berecognized that it is neither necessary nor desirable that the totaltension be applied at one point.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The general object of the present invention isto provide a means for imparting force, or motion, to a body, with theattachments to the body being made at more than two points movable atthe same speed, with the application of forces to the attachment pointsbeing in definite ratio, and to the construction of a particular body tobe moved.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide apractical, relatively lightweight excavating bucket which will make itfeasible to manufacture larger capacity buckets, and to provide animproved rope reeving arrangement so that larger loads can be handledwith wire rope of diameters that can be manipulated in the field.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bucket which will have apartition, or partitions, intermediate its sides extending throughoutthe length of the bucket, so that the widthwise spans of the toothed lipand the arch will be reduced, in effect, to a fraction of the total spanof the bucket.

A further object of the invention is to utilize the bucket partition asan additional point of attachment of forceapplying lines, so that thetotal number of lines may be in excess of those previously used and thuspermit the use of smaller diameter cables, or lines.

It is also an object to provide an increased number of hoist ropes forraising and lowering the bucket.

A still further object is the provision of a plurality of winding drumsfor the respective draglines, hoist lines, or other force-applyinglines, with the drums of each plurality providing a maximum tension inproportion to the number and size of the ropes wrapped upon it.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the followingdescription of one practical embodiment thereof when taken inconjunction with the drawings which accompany, and form part of, thisspecification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective viewof the bucket I and the attachment of the cables to the bucket; and

FIG. 3 is a view of a portion of a modified cable reeving arrangement.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The method of force applicationof the present invention can be employed in the movement control ofbodies of many types, such as dragline buckets, power shovel dippers,shovel crowd motions, lift bridges, car or barge pullers, etc. It can beapplied by the use ofropes, racks and pinions, etc. In fact, a basicrequirement is that the force be attached to the body to be moved atmore than two points which will have equal movement, and the force beapplied to the several points of attachment in definite ratio. In orderto simplify the disclosure, the invention will berdescribed inconnection with a dragline bucket as the body and a six line reeving ofropes as the force-applying means.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and first to FIGS. 1 and 2, thebucket 1 of the improved design, has the usual back 2, bottom 3 andsides 4. The bottom terminates at its forward edge in a lip 5, havingthe usual teeth 6. The upper, forward corners of the sides 4 are joinedby the arch 7. Each side carries an adjustable trunnion hitch 8 and eachside has a forward projection with a plurality of openings 9 for theselective connection of the draglines.

In order to brace the bucket, and to make it possible to use a somewhatlighter construction than would otherwise be required, the bucket isprovided with a vertical central partition 10. The partition is the fullheight and extent of the sides 4, and is Welded along its back to thebucket back wall 2 as at 11, and along the bucket bottom wall 3, as at12. The partition has an upwardly extending provjection 13 at itsforward end which has its top welded to the undersurface of the arch 7at the center of the arch. Thus the partition divides the bucket intotwo compartments 14 and 15, with the partition forming the dividerbetween the two. This, in effect, creates two buckets in side-by-siderelation. Thus, the free span of the bucket lip and the arch 7 are cutin half and these elements can be made of much lighter construction thanwould ohterwise be necessary. It is to be noted that the partition alsohas a forward extension 16, which has a plurality of openings 17 forconnection of draglines.

The bucket will be suspended from the boom point by hoist lines 18, andits digging and attitude will be controlled by draglines 19.

The dragline includes chains 20 which have clevices 21 at their ends,with pins 22 through selected ones of the openings 9 in the bucket sidewalls. A third chain 23 has its clevice 24 coupled to the opening 17 ofthe central partition 10. At the opposite ends of the chains 20 and 23,there are singletrees 25 and 26, respectively, freely pivoted at theircenters on the chain ends. Pairs of cables 27 are connected to the endsof each of the singletrees 25, while another pair of cables 28 isconnected to the ends of the singletree 26. Thus, there is a pair ofcable connected for equalized pull to each of the dragline chains 20 and23. The cables, or ropes, 27 and 28, are trained over as many sheaves asmay be required to lead them to the drag drums 29 and 30. As shown, thelines run over three, double groove, lower fairlead sheaves 31 andthree, double groove upper fairlead sheaves 32.

The outside cables 27, which lead from the side walls of the bucket, arewound upon the drag drum 29, while the central cables 28, which areconnected through chain 23 to the partition 10, are wound upon the dragdrum 30. This arrangement puts four cables upon drag drum 29 and twoupon drum 30. Each drum has a set of spiral grooves for each cableWrapped upon it. The cables are under tension, due either to the diggingloads or the force of gravity on the bucket, so that the cables will layin the grooves and be wrapped uniformly. The drums are sufiicientlylarge that the cables will be wrapped in only one layer. The two dragdrums are independently driven by direct current motors with WardLeonard Electric Control providing the motors with a droopingspeed-torque characteristic in order to automatically proportionatelydivide the load between the motors for the respective drums. The wellknown Ward Leonard system consists of a direct current motor having itsarmature circuit voltage supplied by a set of generators wherein thevoltage is adjustable and the motor speed and torque characteristics aregoverned by excitation of the generator set. Excitation to provide adrooping speed-torque characteristic decreases motor speed as motortorque increases in the motoring or positive sense, and increases motorspeed as torque increases in a braking or negative sense. Such a motorand control system is disclosed in an article entitled Modern ElectricPower Shovels by J. F. Weis, appearing in Electrical Engineering ofSeptember 1955, pp. 782 through 787, and a booklet published by MarionSteam Shovel Company, now by change of name Marion Power Shovel Company,Inc. of Marion, Ohio, entitled A.C. Facts D.C., booklet 281. By havingtwice as many motors on the drum 29, which has four cables attached, ason the drum 30, which has two ropes attached, twice the total line pullwill be obtained from the drum 29 as from the drum 30, and this ratiowill be maintained under varying load conditions. Thus, there will be aproportional pull on each of the six cables at all times, so that eachcable will carry its proportionate share of the load and the pull willbe applied evenly to the sides and center partition of the bucket.

Hoist line 18 is connected to the bucket by means of hoist chains 33.The lower ends of the chains are connected to the trunnion hitches 8,and the upper ends are connected to a bar 34. Intermediate the ends ofthe chain, there is the usual spreader bar 35. Bar 34 has links 36pivotally connected to its ends, and a link 37 pivotally connected toits center. Each of the links has a singletree equalizer pivotallyconnected to its upper end. Equalizers 38, pivotally connected to theouter links 36, each carry a pair of hoist ropes 40. Equalizer 39,connected to link 37, carries a pair of hoist ropes 41. The ropes areconnected to the ends of the equalizers in substantially the same mannerthat the drag ropes are connected to the equalizers 25 and 26. Hoistropes 40 and 41 will run around three, double groove sheaves 42 at theboom point of the machine, and over three, double groove, hoistdeflection sheaves 43 located on the gantry or some other convenientposition. The outside ropes 40 are wound upon a hoist drum 44, and theinner hoist ropes 41 are wound about the hoist drum 45. Here, again,there are twice as many ropes on the drum 44 as on the drum 45.Therefore, the number of motors 46 for drum 44 will be twice the numberof motors 47 for drum 45. This is in the same ratio as the motors 48 fordrag drum 29 and motors 49 for the drag drum 30. The electrical systemfor the hoist is similar to that previously described for the drag.

In order to control the bucket attitude, the usual dump rope 50 will beconnected to the drag chains 20, pass around the sheaves of dump block51 attached to the bar 34, and about an equalizer sheave 52 mounted onthe arch 7 of the bucket.

FIG. 3 of the drawing shows the slightly modified arrangement of thehoist ropes. In order to simplify the disclosure, the same referencecharacters previously used have been applied to the same parts in FIG. 3with a prime added. It will be noted that the drag line arrangement isidentical to the previously described reeving.

In the modified embodiment, the hoist ropes 40' and 41 are carried overthe sheaves 43 as before. In this case, however, one rope of each of thepairs 38 is carried to the drum 44' and the other rope of each of thepairs 38 is carried to the drum 45'. One rope of the center pair 39' iswound upon the drum 44' and the other rope of this pair is wound uponthe drum 45. This arrangement puts one cable of each of the three pairson drum 44 and one cable of each of the pairs on drum 45'. As the numberof ropes is the same on each drum, the number of motors 46' and 47' willbe equal. This arrangement follows the same basic principle as the formfirst described, merely the attachment of the several cables to therespective drums is different.

In the above discussion, wherever the numbers of motors driving therespective drums have been given, it is to be understood that it isassumed the cables are all identical and the motors are identical. Ifvarious sizes of motors and ropes are used in combination, the samelinear speed of rope movement and desired ratio of force applicationmust be maintained under all conditions.

While in the above several embodiments of the invention have beendisclosed, it will be understood that the particular details ofconstruction illustrated and described are merely by way of example andthe invention may take other forms within the scope of the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for applying force to a plurality of attachment points of amovable body in a predetermined ratio comprising, a plurality of powerdriven force applying means, at least three attachment points on thebody equal in number to the number of force applying means forconnection to the force applying means, a plurality of separateconnecting means each individually extending between and connecting oneof said force applying means to one of said attachment points, and meansto control the force applying means to return to said predeterminedratio of force application at each point of attachment in response tovariations in load from said predetermined ratio at the points ofattachment.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein, the body is an excavatingbucket, the force applying means are cable drums, and the means tocontrol the force applying means are motors in driving connection withthe drums, the motors having a drooping speed-torque characteristic.

3. In a dragline excavating machine including a bucket moved by hoistand draglines, the improvement which comprises, the bucket havingvertical sides and at least one vertical partition intermediate thesides and extending lengthwise of the bucket, the bucket sides andpartition at their forward edges each being attached to a separatedragline.

4. In a dragline excavating machine as claimed in claim 3 wherein, theseparate draglines are wound upon a plurality of drums driven by motorshaving a drooping speedtorque characteristic to provide a predeterminedratio of tension on each drag line.

5. Ina dragline excavating machine as claimed in claim 4 wherein, thehoist line includes a plurality of separate lines wound upon a pluralityof drums driven by motors having a drooping speed-torque characteristicto provide a predetermined ratio of tension on each hoist line.

6. In a dragline excavating machine as claimed in claim 3 wherein, thereare two separate drag lines to each side of the bucket and two lines tothe bucket partition, the lines to the bucket sides being wound upon onedrag drum and the lines to the bucket partition being wound upon anotherdrag drum, the respective drag drums being driven by motors having adrooping speed-torque characteristic and the numbers of motors drivingthe respective drums being in the same ratio as the numbers of lineswound upon the respective drums.

7. In a dragline excavating machine as claimed in claim 6 wherein, eachtwo lines to thebucket sides and the two lines to the partition arerespectively interconnected by means of equalizers.

8. In a dragline excavating machine as claimed in claim 7 wherein, thehoist line includes a plurality of separate lines wound upon a pluralityof hoist drums, with the respective hoist drums being driven by numbersof motors in the same ratio as the numbers of lines wound upon therespective hoist drums, the motors driving the hoist drums having adrooping speed-torque characteristic to provide predetermined ratio oftension on all hoist lines.

9. In a dragline excavating machine as claimed in claim 3 wherein, thebucket has a toothed front lip bridging the bottom front ends of thesides, and an arch interconnecting the top front ends of the sides, andthe partition is secured to the front lip and arch.

10. A dragline bucket having a bottom, back and sides and at least onepartition extending vertically from the bottom parallel to the sides,the bottom having a toothed front lip extending between the sides, andan arch interconnecting the top front edges of the sides, the partitionbeing connected to the bucket back, bottom, front lip and arch.

11. A dragline bucket as claimed in claim 10 wherein the bucket sidesand partition have means at their forward edges for connection ofdraglines.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,714,120 5/1929 Bailey 37-1352,341,838 2/1944 Bager 37-135 2,359,303 10/1944 Davidson 37-1352,380,431 7/1945 Harding et a1. 37-116 2,525,528 10/1950 Deal 37-1352,669,042 2/1954 Swank 37-135 2,414,473 1/ 1947 Mahnke 254-172 3,033,5265/ 1962 Priest 254-183 3,057,162 10/1962 Lee 254-172 3,261,591 7/ 1966Campbell et al 254-172 3,273,860 9/1966 Weisenbach 254-184 3,285,57511/1966 Grifiiths 254-183 3,402,824 9/1968 Zweifel 254-185 2,393,622 1/1946 Adams et al 318-156 X 2,534,917 12/1950 King 318-140 X 2,567,4279/1951 Fox 318-140 X 2,834,927 5/1958 Halter 318-156 X 2,856,572 10/1958Pinto 318-156 X 3,047,786 7/ 1962 Denouden 318-156 X 3,078,406 2/ 1963Zweifel et al. 318-140 X OTHER REFERENCES Modern Electric Power Shovelsby I. F. Weis, Electrical Engineering, September 1955.

AC. Facts D.C., Booklet 281 by Marion Steam Shovel, prior to 1928, pp.3, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13.

ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner E. H. EICKHOLT, Assistant ExaminerUS. Cl. X.R. 37-118, 254-184: 318-156

